The present invention relates to acid-pasteurised, shelf-stable, rice products and to processes for their production.
By shelf-stable is meant that the product can be stored at room temperature for long periods of time without being subject to spoilage by microbial action, without its organoleptic properties deteriorating and without it acquiring any undesirable flavour. Typically, food products are considered to be shelf-stable if they meet these requirements after at least nine months and preferably after at least twelve or fourteen months of storage at room temperature. The major reason that many food products are not shelf-stable is that the growth of spoilage microorganisms is not inhibited. Therefore, an essential requirement of a shelf-stable food product is that it should not be susceptible to the growth of spoilage microorganisms.